Documentation of Places

11. ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE The criteria adopted by the Heritage Council in November 1996 have been used to determine the cultural heritage significance of the place.

PRINCIPAL AUSTRALIAN HISTORIC THEME(S) • 4.1 Planning urban settlements • 4.6 Remembering significant phases in the development of settlements, towns and cities • 6.2 Establishing schools • 8.13 Living in cities and suburbs

HERITAGE COUNCIL OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA THEME(S) • 104 Land allocation and subdivision • 107 Settlements • 402 Education and science

11. 1 AESTHETIC VALUE* Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College, with its demonstrations of Gothic architectural design, and high standard of traditional craftsmanship demonstrated in the building facades, is significant for its substantial aesthetic contribution to the St Georges Terrace streetscape, which is otherwise characterised by contemporary high rise commercial development dating from the mid-20th to early 21st centuries. (Criteria 1.1, 1.3, & 1.4) Old Perth Boys School is reputed to have been influenced by Colonial Secretary William Sandford, a member of the Camden society that advocated the use of Gothic architecture as a reflection of theological truth, resulting in a schoolroom designed along the lines of a traditional Gothic church. (Criterion 1.2)

11. 2. HISTORIC VALUE

* For consistency, all references to architectural style are taken from Apperly, R., Irving, R., Reynolds, P. A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture. Styles and Terms from 1788 to the Present, Angus and Robertson, North Ryde, 1989. For consistency, all references to garden and landscape types and styles are taken from Ramsay, J. Parks, Gardens and Special Trees: A Classification and Assessment Method for the Register of the National Estate, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1991, with additional reference to Richards, O. Theoretical Framework for Designed Landscapes in WA, unpublished report, 1997.

Register of Heritage Places 3 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College demonstrates the development of the government provision of education, both elementary and technical, as well as reflecting the expanding government wealth following the introduction of convict labour and later during the Gold Boom. (Criteria 2.1 & 2.2) Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College are physical remnants of the transformation of St Georges Terrace in the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries; from struggling colonial outpost to administrative centre, and after the Gold Boom into the central business street of Perth and thus Western Australia. (Criteria 2.1 & 2.2) Perth Technical College is located on Perth Town Lots 15 and 16, which in the early years of the colony was a holding of Henry Willey Reveley, Civil Engineer to the Swan River Colony, and the site of his watermill, one of the earliest mills in the Colony. (Criteria 2.1, 2.2 & 2.3) Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College demonstrates a growing awareness of the importance of Western Australia’s heritage during the 1960s which evolved from activism by the National Trust (Western Australia) and expanded in later decades to see the retention and conservation of heritage buildings and their sensitive redevelopment to service new purposes. (Criteria 2.2) Old Perth Boys School was designed by Superintendent of Public Works Richard Roach Jewell, and the design is reputed to have been influenced by Willian Sandford, Colonial Secretary from 1852-1855. (Criterion 2.3) Perth Technical College was designed by Hillson Beasley, chief architect at the Public Works Department and who was responsible for a number of government and educational buildings of the period. (Criterion 2.3) Perth Technical College was constructed by William Atkins, who built a number of significant government buildings during the early Twentieth Century. (Criterion 2.3)

11. 3. SCIENTIFIC VALUE Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College has significant potential to provide new information on the lives and activities of those involved in the government education system between 1854 and the 1960s, which can be uncovered through archaeological investigation of the sites. (Criterion 3.2) Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College has the potential to explore and interpret the architectural theories behind the provision of education. (Criterion 3.2)

11. 4. SOCIAL VALUE Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College has high social value as demonstrated by the community response to the threats of demolition, which saw the buildings conserved and Old Perth Boys School serve for a time as the headquarters of the National Trust of Australia (WA). (Criterion 4.1)

12. 1. RARITY Old Perth Boys School is very rare as an example of Victorian Academic Gothic style applied to an educational building. (Criterion 5.1) Old Perth Boys School is extremely rare as the oldest extant government school building, a title shared with P842 Film and Television Institute (RHP). (Criterion 5.1) Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College is rare as remnants of earlier stages of development along St Georges Terrace, which in combination with the adjacent P2111 Newspaper House and P2113 WA Trustee Co & Royal Insurance Co Bld form a rare and distinctive group in this regard. (Criterion 5.1)

12. 2 REPRESENTATIVENESS Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College are respectively well designed representative examples of Victorian Academic Gothic and Federation Gothic style architecture, demonstrating both the physical elements and design ethos behind these styles. (Criterion 6.1) Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College are representative examples of the provision of government education, the design and history of these buildings demonstrating the development of this theme. (Criterion 6.1) Perth Technical College is representative of the work of Hillson Beasley and William Atkins, both in the design and construction of government buildings. (Criterion 6.1)

12. 3 CONDITION Perth Technical College underwent comprehensive conservation works between 2011 and 2012 as part of the Brookfield Place redevelopment, and Old Perth Boys School similarly underwent comprehensive conservation works in through the involvement of the National Trust of Australia (WA). As such the overall place is in very good condition.

12. 4 INTEGRITY Overall, Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College, is of moderate integrity, with original intention of each building still apparent and restoration to an educational use an unlikely but technical possibility. Old Perth Boys School no longer functions as a school, but has been partially restored to an education- associated function associated with Curtin University. Perth Technical College no longer functions as an educational institution, although the original intention remains somewhat identifiable within some of the former classroom and teaching spaces which have not been subdivided.

12. 5 AUTHENTICITY Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College, is of moderate to high authenticity overall. The St Georges Terrace building facades are mostly authentic, although new roofing and the provision of air conditioning has impacted the buildings. The

Register of Heritage Places 5 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 southern addition to Old Perth Boys School has been removed, moving the southern elevation closer to its original design, although the impact of the 1930s development can still be read in the brickwork. The building interiors are largely authentic, with original elements and decorative finishes, such as staircases, wall linings, ceilings, plasterwork, lift casings, joinery skirtings, and cornices generally retained and conserved, or reconstructed to original detail. Interior fitouts, and other modifications carried out to cater for the new uses, such as the subdivision of internal spaces, installation of new services, or compliance upgrades, have generally been undertaken so as to be largely reversible and recognisable as new work.

Register of Heritage Places 6 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 13. SUPPORTING EVIDENCE The documentation for this place is based on the physical evidence completed by Palassis Architects, and the documentary evidence completed by consultant historian Eddie Marcus (History Now), in June 2016, with amendments and/or additions by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (Heritage Services) staff and the Heritage Council’s Register Committee.

13. 1 DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE The documentary evidence for this place has been derived from the Conservation Plan for the Old Perth Boys School (2010) prepared by the National Trust (Western Australia), as well as documentary evidence prepared by Historian Eddie Marcus for the Perth Technical College in 2016. Physical evidence for the Perth Technical College was prepared by Palassis Architects in 2016. Alterations and edits to this text has been made by Heritage Services.1 In the earliest plans drawn up for the Swan River Colony, St George’s Terrace was already assigned the role of the colony’s main street. Although initially unnamed, it was usually called Front Street or Main Street and, later, the Terrace. The Governor’s domain, military establishment, Anglican Church, and government gardens were all established on St George’s Terrace. Towards the east, the Terrace became Adelaide Terrace, and here many of the wealthier settlers established a home.2 Building regulations introduced in August 1829, required land on the Terraces to have a house worth at least £200 within two years. In other streets, this value was only £100. Labourers with allotments in St George’s or Adelaide Terrace could rarely meet the requirement, so their land was resumed and sold to a more affluent resident. Consequently, land in this area of town soon concentrated in the hands of the wealthy.3 Extant non-residential buildings erected along the Terraces during the colonial era include P2119 The Cloisters (RHP) (1858), P2105 Trinity Uniting Church Group (RHP) (i.e. the original Trinity Church, 1865), P2100 The Deanery (RHP) (1859), P2120 Barracks Arch (RHP) (1863), P2102 St George’s Cathedral (RHP) (1879), and P2095 Government House and Grounds (RHP) (1863).4 Overall, these extant buildings demonstrate the slow transformation of central Perth during the Victorian Period from a colonial outpost to an established administrative centre. Perth Town Lots L15 and L16, on which Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College now stands, were first acquired by Henry Willey Reveley, Civil Engineer to the Swan River Colony. Lot L15 was one of the earliest colonial assignments, being Enrolment No. 6, dated 8 October 1829. Reveley built a house near the Bazaar Terrace (now Mounts Bay Road) end of his land.5

1 National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), Old Perth Boys; School, 139 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Conservation Plan, National Trust of Australia (WA), 2010 2 Pitt Morison, M., ‘The Shaping of Early Perth’, Western Geographer 6.1 (January 1982): 45-67 3 Pitt Morison, M., ‘The Shaping of Early Perth’ 4 For details, see the relevant State Heritage Office assessments. 5 ‘Register of Town Allotments’, SRO Cons 1803 Item 4; Hasluck, Paul, & F. I. Bray, ‘Early Mills of Perth’, Early Days 1.8 (1930): 62-84

Register of Heritage Places 7 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 After he obtained Lot L16 in 1832, Reveley established a watermill.6 However despite government loans, the mill was never a success and when Charles Kingsford opened a rival business in Mill Street Reveley’s mill was doomed. In August 1838, after struggling for a few years, Reveley arranged to sell his land, mill and house to Henry Charles Sutherland for £300.7 During this period, there were few educational establishments available for the colony’s children, the ‘Rush Church’ acting as a government school from 1830- 1834. Private schools were held in Perth, Fremantle and Guildford however poor economic conditions saw many of these enterprises fail. Despite this, the establishment of Catholic educational facilities in 1843 with St John’s Church saw real progress in the provision of education for the children of both Catholic and Protestant families.8 The Colonial Government responded with a failed attempt to re-open the government school in 1846, prompting Governor Irwin to appoint and Education Committee to control the operation of colonial schools. The government established separate boys and girls schools in Perth, with the Perth Boy’s School operating out of the Court House next to the Public Offices and Commissariat Store from September 1847. The school catered to 82 students, however ran into problems in sharing space the functions of the courts, as well as the schoolmaster resigning over poor pay. The boy’s school was then moved to a Wesleyan school house in 1850.9 The introduction of convicts in 1850 reshaped the Western Australian economy, which provided the government with new capital and labour to develop public infrastructure and institutions.10 There appears to have been some confusion regarding the selection of the site for a new purpose-built boy’s school. In September 1852 the Governor and Executive Council were reported as driving pegs into the ground at a site on the ‘northwest corner of St George’s Square’ for the erection of ‘a Rustico-Gothico School House with a splendid steeple, the design of our indefatigable Colonial Secretary.’11 In October 1852 the proposed school was advertised in the Government Gazette with the location ‘North side of Barrack Square, Perth.’12 In early 1853 Lots L15 and L16 were obtained by the Government from Henry Sutherland to build the new school.13 Land which had been originally reserved for government purposes was often sold into private hands, forcing the Government to buy it back later.14

6 Hasluck & Bray, ‘Early Mills’ 7 Hasluck & Bray, ‘Early Mills’ 8 National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), op cit., pp. 55, 65-66; P Pendal, Continuity in Change: The Journey of Catholic Education in Western Australia from 1843-2008, Catholic Education Office of Western Australia, 2008, pp. 7-16 9 National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), op cit., pp. 65-66; R Smith, W Brady, The Old Courthouse Perth Conservation Plan, Building Management Authority of Western Australia, 1992, p. 4; Inquirer, 20 October 1847, p. 4 10 R T Appleyard, ‘Economic and Demographic Growth’, A New History of Western Australia, C T Stannage (ed.), UWA Press, 1981, pp. 213-215 11 The Perth Gazette and independent Journal of Politics and News, 24 September 1852, p. 4 12 Government Gazette, No 359, Tuesday October 19, 1852, p. 3 13 Deeds of Memorials, Book 5 Memorials No. 183, 1 February 1853 14 Pitt Morison, M., ‘The Shaping of Early Perth’

Register of Heritage Places 8 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 The design of the school was a deliberate revival of the Gothic style of architecture, consisting of a single hall with a steep-pitched open trussed roof, masonry walls and a small belltower.15 The building was designed by Superintendent of Public Works Richard Roach Jewell, and elements of the design are reputed to have been influenced by Colonial Secretary William Sanford, a member of Cambridge’s Camden Society. The society were advocates of the Gothic style of architecture in public buildings, influenced by the architectural and theological writings of Augustus Pugin.16 The cost of building the new school was initially estimated at £1400.17 The new building was originally envisioned in brick, with tenders for the supply of such advertised in October 1952, however by February 1852 the tenders advertised for both brick and stone.18 By March 1854 the completion of the walls was celebrated, however doubts were raised over the final cost of the project.19 The building was finally completed in September 1854.20 The schoolmaster appointed to the new school was Mr Johnson, who had formerly been appointed to Guildford, replacing the former schoolmaster W D Williams after a pay dispute. Johnson himself then departed the colony in late 1854 after receiving a better offer at a school in Tasmania.21 The following year the services of the Assistant Teacher, Mr Caldwell, was discontinued and no suitable replacement could be found. In exasperation, the Board of Education appointed two students as Pupil Teachers to assist lessons.22 By 1862 this method was considered a formal education system, modelled on apprenticeship methods in England.23 Another new development during this period was the development of a small museum at the school, which consisted of ‘ores, insects, shells, corals, cereals and other native productions,’ which were donated by students.24 By 1859 the school numbered 140 students.25 This reflected the growth of Government education during the colonial period, which from 1856 to 1864 saw the number of schools rise from 12 to 32, the number of students rise from 311 to 1050, and the number of scholars in the colony rise from 411 to 1454.26 The

15 M P Morison, J White, ‘Builders and Buildings,’ A New History of Western Australia, C T Stannage (ed.), UWA Press, 1981, p. 526 16 J S H Le Page, Building a State: The Story of the Public Works Department of Western Australia 1829-1985, Water Authority of Western Australia, 1986, pp. 68-69; J M C Brine, The Nature of Public Appreciation of Architecture: A Theoretical Exposition and Three Case Studies, PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture, University of Adelaide, 1987, pp. 116-134 17 Inquirer, 16 November 1853, p. 2 18 Government Gazette, No 359, Tuesday October 19, 1852, p. 3; Government Gazette, No 376, Tuesday February 22, 1853, p. 2 19 The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News, 31 March 1854, p. 2 20 The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News, 22 September 1854, p. 2 21 National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), op cit., p. 66; The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News, 15 April 1853, p. 2; The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News, 1 December 1854, p. 3 22 The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News, 26 October 1855, p. 2 23 C T Stannage, The People of Perth: a social history of Western Australia’s capital city, Perth Council, 1979, p. 559 24 The Inquirer and Commercial News, 23 December 1857, p. 2 25 The Perth Gazette and Independent Journal of Politics and News, 25 November 1859, p. 3 26 The Inquirer and Commercial News, 14 December 1864, p. 2

Register of Heritage Places 9 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 school building itself was expanded with the addition of the south transept in 1865, which included levelling the ground around the building. In 1868 the northern transept was added, although not without protest that the addition would impact upon the ‘handsome’ building.27 The continuing problem the Old Perth Boys School faced was the low pay of schoolmasters, which deterred teachers from emigrating to the colony. Sub- standard teachers across the colony were able to continue in their posts despite public criticism, and the Pupil Teachers who came to be relied upon preferred to move to more lucrative positions in private business.28 By the end of the 1880s, complaints were also raised about the internal arrangement of the Old Perth Boys School, described as: A building altogether unsuited for its purpose, with fittings which are simply disgraceful. There are no class-rooms, no lavatory, no private-room… The fires for heating the building are inconveniently placed and almost useless and should be replaced… while the clumsy desks in use should have been discarded long ago.29 Attempts had already been made by the government to improve the situation. The Elementary Education Act of 1871 linked the salaries of school teachers to the performance of their students in examinations, but sub-standard buildings, textbooks and teachers plagued the government education system into the 1890s.30 However the 1890s brought significant change to Western Australia. The discovery of gold in the state’s interior brought flood of new families and new capital to invest in education, and a temporary extension to the side of Old Perth Boys School was erected c.1893. Another improvement that occurred during this time was the erection of a shelter shed.31 Nonetheless, numbers at the school did not increase in proportion to the rapid increase in regional and non- government schools. A Commission appointed by the District Board of Education in Perth to investigate this stated that the building and playground were in ill-repair and the school was not organised efficiently. A re-organisation of the staff structure and new site for the school was suggested, and in 1897 the boys school was moved to a new building in James Street (P2028 PICA and Arts House [RHP]).32 This was not the only educational change that occurred during this time. Prior to 1900, apprentices received only on-the-job instruction, and although the Swan River Mechanics Institute had offered courses of lectures from time to time, no regular courses were available. However, the supply of skilled

27 The Inquirer and Commercial News, 4 April 1865, p. 2; The Inquirer and Commercial News, 5 July 1865, p. 2; The Inquirer and Commercial News, 4 November 1868, p. 4; National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), op cit., p. 108 28 L Fletcher (1), ‘Education of the People,’ A New History of Western Australia, C T Stannage (ed.), UWA Press, 1981, pp. 555-561 29 The Daily News, 30 May 1889, p. 3 30 Fletcher (1), op cit., pp. 565-566; L Fletcher (2), ‘Schooling for young colonists’, Education in Western Australia, W D Neal (ed.), UWA Press, 1979, pp. 25-34; 31 Building Management Authority, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (Former Perth Boys; and Girls’ Schools), Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge,1995, pp. 11-16; The W A Record, 22 February 1894, p. 9 32 Building Management Authority, op cit.

Register of Heritage Places 10 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 tradesmen became critical during the boom years of the 1890s.33 In 1899, the Government appointed Alex Purdie as Director of Technical Education. The Old Perth Boys School building, together with Lots L15 and L16, became the Perth Technical School in 1899. The school building was renovated and temporary corrugated iron buildings were erected on the Terrace frontage on the east side of the school (on Lot L15).34 Classes re-opened at the new Perth Technical School on 16 May 1900 with only a small number of students—either 50 or 85, depending on the source consulted.35 Within a few years that number had increased to around 300, and branches of the school were extended to other parts of Western Australia. By 1910, there were 1,120 students, of whom 420 attended classes in Perth, the remainder receiving instruction in the larger towns of the State.36 Originally, Perth Technical School incorporated a School of Mines, and University of Adelaide external exams were made available through the College until superseded by the University of Western Australia. The Perth Technical School spawned the Western Australian Institute of Technology through establishing a Bentley campus,37 which eventually became Curtin University of Technology. In 1909, work finally began on improving the accommodation at the Perth Technical School. The timber and iron buildings fronting St George’s Terrace were moved to another part of the site and a contract was let for the construction of a new building known as Perth Technical College, designed by Hillson Beasley, Chief Architect at the Public Works Department.38 A tender was accepted from William Atkins for £9,710 15s 5d.39 Construction of the Perth Technical College began in July 1909, and the first phase was finished in 1910. This portion of the scheme, comprising the tower block and the left wing, was to be completed by a symmetrical right wing after the expected demolition of the Old Perth Boys School building. Although the new building’s style of architecture is now known as ‘Federation Gothic’, the contemporary term was ‘Domestic Gothic’ (that is, not ecclesiastical), and the model was colleges in Oxford and Cambridge, without necessarily being a copy of any one college. When finished, much stress was placed on the use of local materials, with only the slates and some iron work having been imported. The external materials were brick from Armadale on a Cottesloe stone base, with dressings in Donnybrook Stone.40 The ceilings were of stamped zinc and fibrous plaster, and all rooms were lit with electricity. The windows were heavily leaded in the more ornamental

33 WA Teacher’s Journal, May 1971: 143-47 34 WA Teacher’s Journal, May 1971: 143-47 35 WA Teacher’s Journal, May 1971: 143-47; ‘Our Illustrations’, Western Mail, 30 April 1910: 34 36 ‘Our Illustrations’, Western Mail, 30 April 1910: 34 37 WA Teacher’s Journal, May 1971: 143-47 38 WA Teacher’s Journal, May 1971: 143-47 39 WA Teacher’s Journal, May 1971: 143-47; The Daily News, 8 June 1909, p. 9 40 ‘Our Illustrations’, Western Mail, 30 April 1910: 34

Register of Heritage Places 11 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 portions, with ‘particularly fine’ windows over the main entrance. Windows on the first floor had the motto ‘Truth, beauty, and utility’ written across them.41 The main entrance to Perth Technical College was reached by stone steps, at the top of which was a stone archway, surmounted with the words ‘Technical School.’ Passing through a small glass-bound porch, there was a spacious hall, intended to be used as a museum and picture gallery. The first pictures installed there were engravings of the late Queen Victoria, and of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The hall also contained an elaborate long wooden bench (settle), which was an example of a student’s woodcarving.42 To the left of the hall were the library, the pharmacy, the store, the scientific drawing-room, and the physics room, all designed to use natural light during the day. Among other rooms, the basement was designed for photography classes. Ascending to the upper floor on a wide double staircase was a large hall, an art room, and rooms for accountancy, dress-cutting, needlework. Above this the tower extended for two stories and contained two further classrooms.43 The wide frontage to St George’s Terrace (172 feet, 52.5m) demonstrated a horizontal emphasis, counterbalanced by the vertical tower. Symmetry was intended with a proposed west wing, but the Old Perth Boys School was never demolished. Because of its wide St George’s Terrace street frontage and need for horizontal organisation, Perth Technical College broke with the ‘traditional’ Terrace façade of equal height to width, although the tower does maintain this ratio. During the 1920s and 1930s Old Perth Boys School had various additions and modifications performed, most significantly a two storey brick addition to the southern transept of the building in 1933, which permanently modified the existing windows.44 Following World War II some classes were moved into the James Street school buildings, and a 200-acre site in the Collier Pine Plantation at Bentley was obtained. New buildings were begun there in 1963 to cater for day classes, while Perth Technical College continued with evening classes. The first classes were held at Bentley in 1965. In 1967, the WA Institute of Technology took over the buildings at Bentley, removing the science departments, their equipment, library, and associate courses from Perth Technical College.45 In 1977, Old Perth Boys School became the headquarters of the National Trust of Australia (WA), safeguarding the building from a proposed demolition. The National Trust of Australia (WA) had made proposals to the Western Australian government as early as 1960 urging the preservation of the building, and in 1968 the Old Perth Boys School was proposed as the headquarters for the Trust. The place performed an educational role as a National Trust building and a number of conservation works were performed, however the Trust outgrew the site and in 1986 moved to P2240 Old Observatory (RHP) in West Perth. Old Perth Boys School was then used as a coffee shop and was privately

41 ‘Our Illustrations’, Western Mail, 30 April 1910: 34 42 ‘Our Illustrations’, Western Mail, 30 April 1910: 34 43 ‘Our Illustrations’, Western Mail, 30 April 1910: 34 44 National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), op cit., p.56 45 WA Teacher’s Journal, May 1971: 143-47

Register of Heritage Places 12 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 leased from 1989.46 This repair and adaptive reuse of the building was one that was championed by Western Australia’s leading planner, Margaret Fielman, who was also Chairwoman of the National Trust Council at this time.47 In 1984, proposals by the WA Development Corporation to redevelop the Perth Technical School site caused mounting public concern. A group calling itself ‘The Castle Keepers’ was formed and a petition was presented to Parliament calling for the retention of the St George's Terrace building.48 Premier Brian Burke was persuaded to order the preservation of the 1910 building.49 In 1986 Laurie Connell and Alan Bond, through his Bond Corporation, both bought 25% stakes in a site which included the adjacent P2111 Newspaper House and P2113 WA Trustee Co & Royal Insurance Co Bld in partnership with the State Superannuation Board. Two years later, the site was sold to Kerry Packer and Warren Anderson, who planned a development to be called Westralia Square.50 Due to an economic downturn, Westralia Square was only ever partially built. In the early 1990s, plans for a $2-billion development by Indonesia's Samma Group fell through. Anderson later left the project, with Packer selling his Westralia Square investment in 2003 for $19 million, taking a loss of more than $200 million on the deal. The purchaser was a partnership of Multiplex and Ric Stowe.51 In 2008 the City of Perth granted approval to Multiplex for the construction of a 46-storey tower block on the site for BHP Billiton. The approval included strict conditions on maintaining the cultural heritage values of Perth Technical College¸ which was integrated into a development that encompassed the adjacent P2113 WA Trustee Co & Royal Insurance Co Bld, and P2111 Newspaper House, including Newspaper Hall (fmr).52 In October 2010, these buildings became part of the City Square development,53 which was completed in 2012 and renamed Brookfield Place. The developer, then known as Brookfield Multiplex, adapted Perth Technical College as part of a heritage-minded development.54 As part of this development, a new lift shaft was installed, new openings were created in the interior, and a new terrace constructed at the front of the building.55 In 2011 archaeological excavations were undertaken at the Old Perth Boys School as part of ongoing conservation projects by the National Trust of Australia (WA). These excavations revealed a significant undisturbed

46 National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), op cit., pp.87-90 47 Pidgeon, J, Conservation Plan for the Old Perth Boys School 139 St George Terrace, Perth, National Trust of Australia (WA), 1993, pp. 31, 39-40 48 West Australian, 5 December 1984 49 ‘WA Inc Royal Commission Report’, Vol. V (State Law Publisher, October 1992) 50 Hawthorne, Mark, ‘Perth mayor drops BHP HQ relocation bomb’, The Age, 13 March 2008, www.theage.com.au/business/perth-mayor-drops-bhp-hq-relocation-bomb-20080312-1yzj.html (accessed 5 November 2015) 51 Hawthorne, ‘BHP HQ relocation bomb’ 52 ‘Council nod for towering City Square proposal’, West Australian, 5 March 2008 53 West Australian, 15 October 2010: 17 54 www.brookfieldmultiplex.com/projects/ (accessed 6 November 2015) 55 Palassis Architects, ‘City Square: Conservation Policy Update’ (October 2012): 8

Register of Heritage Places 13 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 archaeological deposit relating to the use of the building as a school, which was later incorporated into displays interpreting the educational history of the place.56 In 2015 Old Perth Boys School was refurbished and repaired as joint project between the National Trust of Australia (WA) and Curtin University. The building was then redeveloped into the Curtin Alumni Office, a hub for community and stakeholder engagement.57 A number of prominent Western Australian figures are associated with Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College, including those who contributed to the development of the buidlings, as well as those who taught or attended the school. Although there are too many to name and adequately describe in this assessment, some figures worthy of note include Richard Roach Jewell (who designed the Old Perth Boys School), Hillson Beasley (who designed the Perth Technical College), Frederick Bell, Henry Reveley, William Sandford, James W R Linton, Andrew Maitland, Loui Benham, Mattie Furphy, Elsa Gerrand, and Geoffrey Summerhayes. Of particular note is Margaret Fielman (Chairwoman of the National Trust Council who championed the adaptive reuse of the Old Perth Boys School).58

13. 2 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College, comprises Old Perth Boys School (1854), a single storey limestone building in Victorian Gothic style featuring a steeply pitched roof, narrow vertical windows and entrance porch that strongly resemble church architecture; and Perth Technical College (1910), a two-storey plus raised basement masonry and tile institutional building, constructed in the Federation Gothic style, with decorative influences from the Arts and Crafts, Tudor and Art Nouveau styles. The physical evidence for Old Perth Boys School has been derived from a Conservation Plan for the place in 2010 and the physical evidence for Perth Technical College has been derived from a survey by Palassis Architects in 2015.

Siting Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College are located along St Georges Terrace in the heart of Perth’s CBD. Perth Technical College is integrated into the larger Brookfield Place redevelopment, (2008-2015), which also incorporates the adjacent P2111 Newspaper House and P2113 WA Trustee Co & Royal Insurance Co Bld. The development occupies multiple lots on the south side of St George’s Terrace, with Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College, positioned along the north and part of the east edge of the lot. Development in the immediate vicinity is generally corporate in character, dominated by contemporary high-rise commercial office developments, dating

56 Brass, L, ‘The Archaeology of Perth’s Early Buildings’, Trust News Western Australia, Edition 04 November 2014-January 2015, p. 6 57 National Trust of Australia (WA) (2) 2015-16 Annual Report, p. 32-33, http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/publications/tabledpapers.nsf/displaypaper/3914550a568a184556 cae99c482580340026034c/$file/4550.pdf; ‘Curtin University expands its city presence,’ News and Events, Curtin University website, accessed 25 July 2017, http://news.curtin.edu.au/media- releases/curtin-university-expands-its-city-presence/ 58 Pidgeon, op cit., pp. 10-44; National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), op cit.

Register of Heritage Places 14 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 from the mid-twentieth to early twenty-first century. The positioning of this group, in particular P2111 Newspaper House and P2113 WA Trustee Co & Royal Insurance Co Bld with Perth Technical College, demonstrate the early twentieth century development of St Georges Terrace, fuelled by the economy of the Gold Boom, into a thriving financial and commercial centre. The wider St George’s Terrace streetscape is similarly dominated by the high- rise office developments, punctuated by smaller brick and stone historic buildings such as P2119 The Cloisters (RHP) (1858), P2105 Trinity Uniting Church Group (RHP) (i.e. the original Trinity Church, 1865), P2100 The Deanery (RHP) (1859), P2120 Barracks Arch (RHP) (1863), P2102 St George’s Cathedral (RHP) (1879), and P2095 Government House and Grounds (RHP) (1863).

Old Perth Boys School External form, style & details Old Perth Boys School is a single storey limestone hall constructed in a simplified version of the Victorian Academic Gothic style, the well-proportioned design that incorporating many elements of traditional church architecture into a secular building. These features include a steeply pitched roof, imposing gable with limestone parapet, stone walls, as well as two-centred stone quoined lancet arches over doors and windows. The internal stylistic features include a cruciform arrangement of an east-west hall with northern and southern transepts, accessed by the western doorway and side porch doorway. Another stylistic indicator that has since been removed was the small central belltower. A smaller belltower under an ornamental gable and crucifix stands over the northern porch. The building is oriented east-west along St George’s Terrace with a small entry along the western face; the main entrance to the building is from the northern porch facing onto St Georges Terrace. The building is separated from the street by a low timber palisade fence, set into a limestone base with capped limestone pillars as separators. Along the southern elevation, a small concrete performance stage has been installed between the western entrance and the southern transept. To combat rising damp, the building walls are exposed to the original ground level wall vents along the southern and south-west elevations, presented as a gravel-bottomed channel with a steel grille walkway and safety balustrades over the top. The exterior side of the channel is reinforced concrete, creating a retaining wall to the current ground level. The new Brookfield place pedestrian areas are a level higher than the foundations of the south side of Old Perth Boys School to both enhance the setting of the building and to enable servicing of the new functional elements and building foundations. Non pedestrian grated areas enable service access to the lower level. Visual access to the entire building and lighting also displays the building and original stair to the foundations. The face of the southern transept has been re-exposed after the 1933 brick addition was removed, however elements of the brick addition are still present in the brick-filled lancet lower lancet windows and in the brick quoined upper window (modified from the original lancet type in 1933). Some original stone lancet windows were remodelled in concrete by John Pidgeon, the National Trust architect c. 1970-80s, and rendered in cement, a finish which has been retained. Plinth signage providing information

Register of Heritage Places 15 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 about the history of the building is also present near the northern porch entrance and the southern performance stage. The walls of the building are composed of limestone and lime mortar, which has previously been repaired by cement mortar. This cement has largely been removed and the most recent conservation work has replaced these intrusions with lime putty. The limestone blocks are set in a squared random courses, with larger and more regular square blocks noted on the northern transept and northern porch than on the other faces of the building. Wall ties are apparent over the northern porch entrance. The main entrance via the northern porch also features a two-centred door quoined in white stone, flanked by low capped buttresses and surmounted with a stone cartouche bearing a carved Union Jack, formed from an intersecting ‘X’ and a single-armed anchor. The entrance area has been paved with interpretative flagstones set near the corners of the building. The other windows along the main building are generally two-centred stone quoined openings, set in pairs with the exception of a set four lancet windows installed into the eastern gable of the building and a single unquoined lancet window set near the top of the northern and southern transept gables. Furthermore, two of the lancet windows are noted as now being rendered in concrete. The rear entrance to the building on the southern transept elevation is presented as a square opening with a concrete lintel, encroaching into the remains of the former lancet window. The original southern transept entrance (facing west) and original western entrance to the building are largely unmodified. The roof of the building is currently galvanised corrugated iron in short sheets, with galvanised iron ridge capping, galvanised iron ogee profile gutter and timber fascia boards. A limestone chimney is still apparent along the southern elevation. The roof is hipped at the intersection of the main hall and transepts. Paired skylights are apparent along the southern elevation Internal layout and details Internally, the building has been modified in 2015 to create a meeting and presentation space. The main hall is presented as a single open space, the interior walls painted with white clay paint and the internal stone mullions of the lancet windows still apparent. The open timber trusses and battens of the roof frame are also still apparent, with the addition of modern lights and fans. Other modern additions include air conditioning units along the bottom of the walls and a refurbished timber floor. The media screened "box" is placed at the west end without contact to the original walls. The original walls to the side and above it are still visible, and walking into the interior of this construction the original walls and windows are again clearly visible. The fireplace is still apparent, but is now ornamental. The eastern end of the central hall is now a reception desk and office storage. The northern transept has been converted into meeting room, the style similar to the central hall but with a timber wall dado and white gyprock ceiling. Ventilation grilles and a roof space access hatch are visible. The line of an earlier ceiling can still be seen along the southern wall of the room above the two-centered archway. The archway has been modified with glass panels and

Register of Heritage Places 16 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 a glass entrance door, obscured slightly along the eastern side by the addition of office storage space. The southern transept is largely screened from the main hall by a wood panelled wall, which has been further extended by a glass and steel screen that encapsulates a unisex toilet and electrical services panels. Besides these are the southern transept rear exit. Within this space another non-functional fireplace (the rear to the hall fireplace) is apparent, as is the interior of the lancet windows and original door along the transept’s western wall. Facing the hall, a set of wooden stairs leads up and into the southern transept’s mezzanine, which is used as a kitchen area. Interpretation panels and conserved object installations are visible throughout the space, providing visitors with information on the various physical or historical aspects of the building.

Perth Technical College External form, style & details Perth Technical College is a two-storey plus raised basement masonry and tile former institutional building, constructed in the Federation-Gothic style, with decorative influences from the Arts and Crafts, Tudor and Art Nouveau styles. A key feature is the square entrance tower on the north-west corner, which is capped on all four sides by a crenelated parapet incorporating hexagonal corner turrets. The tower, which rises four storeys overall, projects forward of the main St George’s Terrace façade and one storey above the main ridge line, providing a strongly vertical emphasis to the building. Walls are generally constructed of pressed red face brickwork, laid to a stretcher bond, with rendered masonry dressings. The principal (north) elevation is distinguished by its Donnybrook sandstone dressings and decorative rendered masonry embellishments. Roofs are generally steeply pitched hipped or parapet gables, with Marseille pattern red clay tiles. The roofscape retains several original brick and rendered masonry chimneys, two of which are visible from St George’s Terrace, and a rooftop plant area, which is concealed behind the front ridgeline. Rainwater goods are generally traditional cast metal, although some contemporary metal rainwater goods have been introduced in inconspicuous locations, such as along the east interface. Eaves are typically timber lined on the rake, leaving the timber rafters exposed to reveal their gently scalloped decorative tails. Fenestration is regularly ordered and of vertical emphasis throughout. Original windows are typically clear glazed traditional timber double hung sliding sashes. The notable exception is the original Art-Nouveau style leadlight sash windows which feature around the original main entry and stairhall of the tower bay at basement and ground floor level. The principal (north) façade has a strongly asymmetrical vertical composition dominated by the tower entrance bay. This asymmetry results from the absence of a west wing, which formed part of the original planning for the building but was never constructed. The easternmost bay contains a central breakfront panel with a smaller stepped parapet gable, whilst the central bay incorporates a stepped gablet of similar design on its midline. Both gable and gablet contain

Register of Heritage Places 17 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 a centrally located narrow louvre window. Window openings, which are either coupled or grouped together in fives, are defined by sandstone dressings, transoms and mullions. Most retain a toplight over containing original leadlight glazing. The ground floor level is raised over a random coursed, rough faced limestone plinth which, together with the stone string coursings, lends a horizontal emphasis to the main façade. Each bay contains a raised entrance, centrally located, with the westernmost bay forming the original main entry into the building. This entry comprises curved stone steps, with masonry balustrades, leading to a pair of timber panelled doors set into an elaborately carved stone doorway. The ground-fixed polished metal handrail, which is inset from the original masonry balustrade, is of recent origin. The doorway features a deep, elliptical archway defined by clustered piers, ornate drip moulds and other decorative elements, including a rendered masonry spandrel with the letters ‘TECHNICAL SCHOOL’ carved out in bas relief. The level two tower windows feature a similar carved spandrel decorated with bas relief filigree motifs. The other two entrances, which are accessed via the new split level deck, service new tenancies and occur in modified original window openings. Both have contemporary steel and glass horizontal canopies over. Other noticeable recent modifications to the front façade include the two original windows on either side of the central entrance, which have both had their sill heights lowered and original stone tracery removed to accommodate larger contemporary fixed windows. The east, west and south facades continue with a similar sense of traditional order. The south elevation shares an asymmetry with the north elevation, dominated by its deeply projecting western bay, which accommodates the main staircase. This bay has a tiled hip roof incorporating a large louvred gable. Windows are generally coupled on the main level and grouped into threes on the upper level, except for within the stairhall bay, where the feature leadlights are closely grouped into five. Some original windows have had their sill heights lowered and original windows substituted with larger fixed windows or contemporary doors, particularly at the basement level to open up to the new south alfresco areas. Where these interventions have occurred, portions of the original sills have generally been retained in the adjoining masonry for interpretative purposes. In addition, whilst unmodified sashes generally retain a traditional cream coloured paint finish, newly introduced timber and metal joinery is distinguishable by its contrasting dark black colour, and plain profile. On the east elevation, the limestone plinth wraps around from the front facade, terminating as quoins on the south elevation in the south-east corner. With the new east covered walkway and canopy stood off from the wall as previously described, the plinth features as a visual element on this elevation both at ground and basement floor levels. As with the south elevation, this facade has regularly spaced window openings which, on the interface with the new covered walkway, have been modified in a similar manner to accommodate new, larger fixed windows. The west elevation presents as a minor elevation, characterised by large areas of masonry with few openings, with rendered masonry dressings terminating approximately three metres northwards into the façade.

Internal layout and details Internally, the building has been modified to cater for new food, beverage and other commercial uses. Floor planning is oriented around the west wing, which contains the original entry lobby and main hall at ground floor level, a lounge bar and patrons’ amenities at basement level, and an art gallery at first floor level. A central corridor, repeated on each level, leads off this wing to the east, providing access to the rooms on either side and within the east bay. At ground floor level this corridor dog-legs around to the south, connecting to the main plaza via one of the contemporary bridge links. A similar dog-leg corridor at basement level has been altered, through the removal of original wall fabric, to open up into the south-east corner tenancy. Originally a large open space on all three levels, the main hall has since been subdivided by a contemporary aluminium framed glazed partition, with reception desk, at first floor level and by full height frameless glass partitions at basement level to form the new tenancies. At ground floor level the original timber and patterned stained glass leadlight airlock remains intact at the north end, with this entry still in use as one of the primary entrances into the building. The airlock, which protrudes into the main hall but does not extend full height, has a coffered timber ceiling and black and white tessellated tile floor. Access into the airlock from the street is via the paired timber panelled entry doors, whilst access into the main hall is via a second set of part-glazed timber swing doors. Airlock joinery is unpainted internally. The stained glass leadlights feature Art Nouveau style floral motifs dominated by red, amber and green hues. The toplight over the secondary doors has ‘AD1910’ coloured into the central motif. At ground floor level, the main hall has timber floorboards, a heavily moulded plaster ceiling and cornices, plastered walls, and high moulded plaster skirtings. Walls feature a heavily moulded plaster dado rail and deep, ornate decorative frieze. A suspended plasterboard plenum of recent origin, which is offset from the walls to preserve views up to the original plasterwork, conceals ceiling mounted services. At first floor level, detailing and finishes are similar, although not as ornate as the ground floor embellishments. The stepped decorative ceiling cornice has Art Nouveau style motifs which are similar to the leadlight windows. Also of note are the original tower timber trap doors which are visible in the floor and overhead ceiling at the north end of the main hall. At basement level, base build finishes are more utilitarian, with this area now dominated by the contemporary fitouts and stripped back original finishes of the food and beverage tenancies contained within. A segmented archway, which at ground floor level incorporates a decorative plaster spandrel, denotes entry into the central corridors, off which doorways and archways leading to the other tenancies can be found. A new frameless glass airlock has been constructed behind the entry archway within each corridor for fire separation. Although retaining similar high skirtings and architraves as the main hall, the corridors are rather more plain in appearance, with flat plastered walls, simply beaded dado run moulds and moulded picture rails. New suspended plasterboard ceilings, with shadowline cornices, have

Register of Heritage Places 19 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 been introduced to conceal new services and light fittings are generally suspended. Some of the rooms leading off the corridors retain notable original features, such as the fireplaces and finely detailed decorative plasterwork ceilings, beam coffers and cornices in the ground floor level east wing tenancies, and the original raked, timber planked ceiling and exposed truss chords in the former main classroom on the south side of the corridor at first floor level. Vertical circulation is provided for by a new passenger lift, located off the main hall immediately south of the central corridor, and by the original bifurcated timber staircase, located at the south end of the main hall. The ornately embellished closed string staircase is a key feature of the building, featuring elaborately carved skirt boards, newels and baluster spindles, all preserved to their original unpainted appearance. The original moulded timber handrail remains, however a new tubular timber handrail, stood off from the original handrail on curved brass brackets, has been retrofitted, as have new brass tactile ground surface indicators and nosing strips. The lift, which is contained within a doorway opening at ground floor level, and enclosed in a drywall clad box at first floor level, is relatively unobtrusive, however the protrusion into the north-west corner of the former main classroom at the upper level is unfortunate. Original doorways have generally been retained throughout, with all joinery, including moulded timber architraves, timber panel doors and glazed toplights intact. Several doors have been rendered inoperable and some former archway openings within the corridors have been infilled to a minimal recess. Where new doorways have been introduced these are generally distinguishable by the absence of decorative mouldings and their contemporary frameless glass door assemblies. Door hardware is generally of recent origin throughout. The roof top and upper levels of the tower were unable to be accessed for this assessment.

13. 3 COMPARATIVE INFORMATION Architecture Old Perth Boys School is built in a simplified version of the Victorian Academic Gothic style. While there are a total of 85 places in the State Heritage database designed in the various Victorian Gothic variants, a search of the State Heritage database for places designed in the Victorian Academic Gothic style returns 14 entries, 12 of which are entered in the State Register of Heritage Places (RHP). These places are almost entirely religious buildings. There is only one place found to be the most comparable to Old Perth Boys School as a Victorian Academic Gothic style building that used as an educational institution:  P894 Fremantle Grammar School (RHP): a school established in 1885, founded by the Anglican Church along the lines of an English public school. The place is considered a representative example of a school building designed in the Gothic style that was considered appropriate for religious and educational institutions around the state at this time.

Register of Heritage Places 20 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 A search of the State Heritage database for other educational buildings in Victorian Gothic variants has identified one other place comparable to Old Perth Boys School:  P330 Paisley Centre (RHP): a single storey school established in 1885 by the Public Works Department, considered a confident example of its style. The place has been continuously developed over the years however its central hall demonstrates the open trussed roof, arched openings and grouped lance windows also found at Old Perth Boys School. Perth Technical College is built in the Federation Gothic style, although the documentary evidence has noted that the intended architectural design was never realised due to the Old Perth Boys School not being demolished. A search of the State Heritage database for Federation Gothic returns 121 places, of which 41 are listed on the RHP. These places include government, educational, religious and community buildings. If the list is reduced down to Federation Gothic buildings with an educational use, the search returns 20 places, of which 9 are listed on the RHP. The following places are comparable to Perth Technical College as Federation Gothic style applied to an educational building:  P379 Convent of Mercy Group (RHP): established in 1897 by the Sisters of Mercy as a pastoral and educational facility, the convent and two- storeyed convent chapel are notable examples of the Federation Gothic style of architecture typical of religious and education institutions of this period. The place is considered an essential landmark within the city of Bunbury and was designed by architect Michael Cavanagh.  P2181 Sacred Heart Catholic Group, Highgate (RHP): established in 1899 and developed continuously since then, this complex of buildings includes the Monastery of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, considered an excellent example of a large, well composed convent school building with elements of Federation Free Gothic style. Collectively, the group demonstrates the role of Catholic teaching orders in the development of education in Western Australia.  P2242 Hale School (fmr) (RHP): established in 1914 and developed continuously since then, this group of buildings features a two storey brick and tile building in the Inter-war Romanesque style and a single storey brick and tile building designed in the Federation Gothic style. The place is significant for its role in the development of education in the state as well as its associations with a number of prominent Perth individuals. The School buildings designed by the Public Works Department are considered fine examples of the Federation Gothic style. A search of the State Heritage database for other educational buildings in Federation Gothic variants has identified one other place comparable to Old Perth Boys School:  P330 Paisley Centre (RHP): discussed above. Development of education Old Perth Boys School demonstrates the rocky development of government education from 1854 to 1896. A search of the State Heritage Register for

Register of Heritage Places 21 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 educational institutions during the Victorian period returns 195 places, of which 81 are listed on the RHP. However if this list is reduced down to government (as opposed to private or denominational) schools during the Victorian Period, this search returns 45 places, of which 19 are listed on the RHP. These 19 places are mostly located across the southwest of the state, the most comparable to Old Perth Boy’s School include:  P497 Claremont Museum (RHP): built in 1862 by the free settlers of the Claremont community from convict-quarried stone, this building served the children of pensioner Guards and also doubled as a church. The building is significant for demonstrating the development of Claremont and as a limestone building with harmonious, simple symmetry.  P894 Fremantle Grammar School (RHP): discussed above.  P851 Princess May Reserve (RHP): incorporating both the Princess May Girls’ School (fmr) and Fremantle Boys School (fmr), this place is significant for its role in developing public education in the state. Fremantle Boys School (fmr) (P842 Film and Television Institute [RHP]) is one of the oldest extant public education buildings in the state, established in 1854.  P1007 Fremantle Technical College Annexe (RHP): established in 1877 as the Infants and Girls School, this place demonstrates the development of colonial schooling in Western Australia and is considered to be a rare and intact example of the ‘hall and gallery’ design of Victorian period schools. The group is further considered to make a significant contribution to the Fremantle streetscape.  P4088 Guildford Primary School (RHP): a complex of buildings established in 1870 and continuously developed since then, this place includes the remnants of Richard Roach Jewell’s original building on the site, which are incorporated into the current school building. The place is significant as the oldest continuously operating public school in the state, demonstrating the development of the government education system. Perth Technical College demonstrates the growth in technical and other adult education from 1910 to 1967. A search of the State Heritage Register for technical schools during this period returns 22 places, of which 8 are listed on the RHP. The places most comparable to Perth Technical College include:  P330 Paisley Centre (RHP): discussed above, this place was used by the Bunbury Technical College from 1942, who took over the building in 1962 and continued to use it for adult education until 1972.  P1007 Fremantle Technical College Annexe (RHP): discussed above, this place was used as a technical college from 1902, and was the site of a purpose built technical school building in 1913.  P1672 Christian Brother’s Agricultural School Group (RHP): a complex of buildings established in 1936 and continuously developed since then, this agricultural school was developed by the Christian Brothers and involved with the Child Migrant Scheme.  P2441 Newcastle Street School (RHP): a pair of buildings established in 1890, the place was first used as an Anglican School then transferred to

Register of Heritage Places 22 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 government control in 1895, and in 1927 was converted into the Junior Technical School. The place demonstrates the development of government education in the state and the buildings are considered to be well resolved examples of Federation Arts and Crafts style architecture.  P2505 Old Midland Junction School (RHP): a complex of buildings established in 1895, this place was initially the Helena Vale School, but was converted into the Midland Technical College after 1958. The place is considered significant in demonstrating the development of government education in Western Australia and as an example of Federation Free style architecture.  P4055 Industrial School (fmr), part of P2438 King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women (RHP): The larger hospital group was established in 1897, and is significant as the state first public maternity hospital. Harvey House (H Block) was the former Government Industrial School established in 1897 and functioned until 1939.  P25228 Harvey Agricultural College (fmr) (RHP): established in 1940 as the Harvey Internment Camp, and later as an army training school. In 1947 the place was redeveloped into the Harvey Rural Training Centre and in 1952 was redeveloped again to the Harvey Agricultural College. The place is significant as an internment camp and for its long standing association with education. Development of St Georges Terrace Old Perth Boys School demonstrates the development of St Georges Terrace, the main street of the capital city of Western Australia during the Victorian Period. This period saw the development of a number of buildings in the city centre, fuelled in part by the new economy created through the introduction of convict labour. Other buildings established along St Georges Terrace during this period include:  P1947 Supreme Court Buildings and Gardens, Old Court House, Stirling Gardens (RHP): a collection of government building set within a mature botanical garden, the earliest structure within this place is the Old Courthouse, established in 1836 and considered the oldest extant building in Perth. The Greek Revival style building is accompanied by the and the Stirling Gardens, established in 1845.  P2095 Government House and Grounds (RHP): established in 1864, this place is of exceptional historic importance as the ongoing residence of the Governor of Western Australia. This Victorian Tudor style building is set within extensive gardens and contains numerous archaeological features and deposits.  P2012 St George’s Cathedral (RHP): established in 1879, the centre of Anglican faith in Western Australia is a major landmark on St Georges Terrace and occupies a strategic position next to P2095 Government House and Grounds (RHP). The place is considered to be a fine example of Victorian Academic Gothic architecture, designed by noted Australian architect Edmund Blacket.

Register of Heritage Places 23 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019  P2119 The Cloisters (RHP): established in 1858 by Bishop Hale, this Anglican school was the first secondary education establishment in the state, and is considered a fine example of the Victorian Tudor style of architecture. The place is a significant demonstration of the Anglican development of education in Western Australia.  P2100 The Deanery (RHP): established in 1859, this Victorian Tudor building was designed by Richard Roach Jewell and is a significant part of the Anglican development of colonial Perth. The place lies within a group of convict era buildings that illustrates the pre-Gold Boom character of St Georges Terrace.  P2120 Barracks Arch (RHP): a three storey brick building in the Victorian Tudor style, this place is a significant physical remnant of a larger Enrolled Pensioner Force barracks who remained in the colony when Imperial Troops were removed in 1868. The place is also significant as a symbol of the growing awareness of heritage value of buildings in the 1960s, and as a place of protest leading to the conservation of the place. Old Perth Boys School demonstrates the development of St Georges Terrace, during the Federation and Inter-War Periods. These periods saw the rapid commercial development of the city centre, fuelled by the Gold Boom economy as well as the expansion of agricultural enterprise. Extant buildings established along St Georges Terrace demonstrating this shift include:  P2094 St George’s House (RHP): a former residence, this c.1891 Federation Queen Anne building is significant for demonstrating the shift away from residential use of St Georges Terrace during this period.  P2111 Newspaper House and P2113 WA Trustee Co & Royal Insurance Co Bld: a group of multiple storey commercial buildings forming a cohesive Inter-war architectural group along St Georges Terrace; the group is also significant as demonstrating the commercial development of St Georges Terrace during the early 20th century.  P2110 Western Australian Club (RHP): initially established in 1887, this banking building was extensively remodelled both internally and externally in 1927 into the Inter-War Commercial Palazzo style. The place is considered significant in demonstrating the commercial development of St Georges Terrace. Other significant buildings constructed during this period along St Georges Terrace include P11595 First Church of Christ, Scientist, Perth (RHP) in 1939; P2101 Burt Memorial Hall (RHP) in 1918; P2099 St Andrew’s Church (RHP) in 1906. Perth Technical College further demonstrates a regional idiom in which a free interpretation of Tudor architecture is incorporated into Gothic design principles. Tudor influences can be seen prominently in the former arcade under the P1953 Perth Town Hall (RHP), P2095 Government House and Grounds (RHP), P2119 The Cloisters (RHP), the Artillery Barracks in P991 Artillery Barracks & Fremantle Harbour Signal Stn (fmr) (RHP), and—although a somewhat parodic example—P1998 London Court (RHP).59

59 See State Heritage Office assessments for more details on these places.

Register of Heritage Places 24 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019 Perth Technical College is extremely rare in central Perth as a large-scale Gothic revival building designed by the Public Works Department. The only building which is directly comparable is P2159 Perth Girls’ Orphanage (fmr) (RHP) (1899) on Adelaide Terrace, but this lacks the scale and street presence of the School. Association with notable individuals Old Perth Boys School was designed by Superintendent of Public Works Richard Roach Jewell. A search of the State Heritage database for places associated with this architect returns 15 places besides Old Perth Boys School, all of which are listed on the RHP:  P401 Busselton Court House and Police Complex (RHP)  P946 Court House (fmr), Fremantle (RHP)  P1157 Greenough Court House, Police Station and Gaol (RHP)  P1892 Northam Post Office (fmr) (RHP)  P2100 The Deanery (RHP)  P2119 The Cloisters (RHP)  P2120 Barracks Arch (RHP)  P2479 Guildford Court House and Gaol (Fmr) (RHP)  P2496 St Mary’s Church and Graveyard (RHP)  P2558 Newcastle Gaol, Lock-up and Stables Group, Toodyay (RHP)  P2560 Toodyay Court House (fmr) and Former Convict Depot Archaeological Sites (RHP)  P3650 Rottnest Island/Wadjemup (RHP)  P4088 Guildford Primary School (RHP)  P4289 Royal Perth Hospital Heritage Precinct (RHP)  P14470 Swanleigh Precinct (RHP) The design of Old Perth Boys School is also reputed to have been influenced by Colonial Secretary William Sanford. A search of the State Heritage database for places associated with Sanford returns one place besides Old Perth Boys School:  P842 Film and Television Institute (RHP): discussed above, the design of this Victorian Tudor style building with Dutch Gables is also attributed to Sanford. Perth Technical College was designed by Hillson Beasley, chief architect at the Public Works Department. Beasley’s work was prolific, a search of the State Heritage database returning 82 places, of which 63 are listed on the RHP. Some of the more significant buildings he designed in Perth and Fremantle include:  P951 Fremantle Post Office (RHP)  P991 Artillery Barracks & Fremantle Harbour Signal Station (fmr) (RHP)  P1980 Swan Barracks (RHP)  P2053 Chief Secretary/Public Health Department (fmr) (RHP)  P2025 Art Gallery Administration Building (RHP)  P1962 Art Gallery & Museum Buildings (RHP)  P1979 Perth General Post Office (RHP)  P1973 Central Government Offices (RHP)

Register of Heritage Places 25 Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College 28 June 2019  P4289 Royal Perth Hospital Heritage Precinct (RHP)  P3470 Government Printing Office (fmr) (RHP)  P2056 Perth Government Stores (fmr) (RHP)  P2242 Hale School (fmr) (RHP)

Perth Technical College was constructed by William Atkins, a noted Gold Boom builder. A search of the State heritage database for places associated with Atkins can confirm 11 places, of which 10 are listed on the RHP. These places include commercial, religious, educational and government buildings. Some of the more significant buildings he constructed in Perth and Fremantle include:

 P486 Claremont Railway Station (RHP)  P951 Fremantle Post Office (RHP)  P2028 PICA & Arts House (RHP)  P2056 Perth Government Stores (fmr) (RHP)  P2166 The Perth Mint (RHP)  P5467 Princess Margaret Hospital (RHP): New Ward Conclusions In regards to the comparative value of Old Perth Boys School and Perth Technical College as demonstrations of Victorian Academic Gothic and Federation Gothic respectively, neither is considered rare as an example of Gothic style. In regard to the use of Gothic style in educational buildings, Perth Technical College is similarly not considered rare as an example of Federation Gothic style but Old Perth Boys School is considered a very rare example of Victorian Academic Gothic style applied to educational building. In regard to the comparative value of Old Perth Boys School & Perth Technical College as demonstrations of the development of government education, neither place is considered rare. However, Old Perth Boys School is noted as being one of the oldest extant buildings demonstrating the provision of government education, a title shared with Fremantle Boys School (fmr) (P842 Film and Television Institute [RHP]). In regard to the development of St Georges Terrace from a colonial outpost to administrative centre and then into a commercial and financial centre after the Gold Boom, Old Perth Boys School is considered to have some rarity as a remnant of the Victorian era streetscape along St Georges Terrace. Perth Technical College is also considered to have some rarity as a remnant of the Federation and later inter-war development of St Georges Terrace. Old Perth Boys School could be considered rare as a place associated with Colonial Secretary William Sandford, however this is difficult to determine as there is insufficient information on the extent of his architectural work in the colony. Perth Technical College is not rare as place associated with Government Architect Hillson Beasley or builder William Atkins, but is considered representative of their work in the design of government buildings.

13. 4 KEY REFERENCES National Trust of Australia (WA) (1), Old Perth Boys; School, 139 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Conservation Plan, National Trust of Australia (WA), 2010

13. 5 FURTHER RESEARCH -----